Life Is Not A Video Game
by Kiwi-Stardust
Summary: In life you'll never be chased by demons, have supernatural powers, or acheive miraculous feats of heroism . . . But for Kagome, all of that is going to change . . . . R and R plz!


A/N: Hiya! Kiwi's off to another story! ^.^ I hope you likekay! (I got this idea from my older brother 'cause he plays vid games all the timekay!)  
  
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Disclaimer: A Feudal Fairytale Video Game: $20, a Kagome plushie: $10, Inuyasha himself: priceless. There are some things money CAN buy, but unfortunately, not him . . .  
  
Life Is Not A Video Game  
  
Chapter 1 -  
  
Seeing is Believing, and Believing is Playing  
  
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Kagome was up in her room studying chemistry. Her grades were down and she needed to bring them back up, and she still had math homework to do. She sighed inwardly and leaned back on her chair. She soon found out that wasn't the best thing to do as she tipped over and fell back. But, she didn't do this because she was clumsy, it was because of a little boy's screaming voice downstairs. Kagome angrily picked herself up and marched out of her room to head downstairs. Souta was grasping a small box looking as if it were the key to all of the world's problems.  
  
"What are you squawking about? I AM trying to study!" she said moving towards him.  
  
"Kagome! They picked me!" he exclaimed in awe.  
  
Kagome didn't who "who" was and she looked at him stangely."'They'?"  
  
Souta looked at her like she'd lost her mind."The new game industry! Shikon Inc.! The mailman just delivered it! I sent in for a contest in last month's issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly and read an article about its new company, and I wanted to test out their new on-line game, so I sent them a postcard! There were five winners and one of them was me!"  
  
"Right." Kagome said staring at him.  
  
"I really get to test out their new game and system!" Souta was bubbling with excitement."Will you help me hook it up 'Gome? Pretty please?"  
  
"New system?" Kagome suddenly spied a larger looking box lying on the floor. She bent down to read the box."Visulization Reality Computer?"  
  
Souta bounded over."That's 'VRC', Kagome. It's like virtual reality on the web!"  
  
"Isn't this kind of dangerous? Maybe we should wait 'til Grandpa and Mom come back from the store?"  
  
"Aw, Kagome, please?" she looked at her little brother's puppy-dog eyes and couldn't resist.  
  
"Oh, okay, but I'm testing it out first to make sure it's okay."  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
Souta carried the two boxes into his room while Kagome followed. The wiring for the VRC was ridiculous! You needed certain things to go with the system, but the game company made sure to include everything needed possible for set-up. The technology was kind of amazing; you didn't need a computer on a television for the system. After what seemed like ages, they finally managed to set the system up.  
  
"Okay Souta, where is the game they sent?" Kagome asked checking to make sure the VRC was hooked in right.  
  
"Right here." He handed her a case while fiddling with some kind of head gear."It was the only one they sent."  
  
Kagome looked closely at the game and took out the booklet."'Nightmare Gem: Quest for the Shikon Jewel', this sounds so corny." She flipped to the page that had the summary of the game on it."'The Shikon Jewel has fallen into evil hands: Naraku. With the jewel's immense power, he has become overlord of the land, enslaving everyone - humans and demons alike. There is still hope, though. You and four on-line companions have established a rebellion against the evil darkness of Lord Naraku. But beware: for his minions, traps, tricks, and trials are everywhere. You must learn to get along with your groupmates to survive and regain control of the Shikon Jewel. Good Luck.'"  
  
"That sounds so cool Kagome!" Souta was jumping around her."Hurry up and put it in!"  
  
"In a moment!" she said taking the game from the case and sliding it in the receiving slot. The disc whirred in the thin slot like a dollar going into a soda machine. Kagome regared the manual and pressed the little red "on" button."Okay, Souta, hand me the," she squinted at the booklet."VR vizor." She read. Souta complied and handed her the weird vizor.  
  
"Can I play now?" he whined.  
  
"I said I'd help you hook it up if you let me try it out first! You don't want to get brain damage do you?"  
  
"Yeah, okay, I guess you can't get brain damage if you already have it . . . "  
  
"Oh, shut up." She retorted putting the visor on. For a moment Kagome felt like she was floating in an abyss of nothingness, before a title screen came on. Dreadful music filled Kagome's ears as the scene around her hovered over a dark castle, lighting flashing in the distance. The scene shifted to a man wearing a white baboon's pelt sitting by a window. A young woman with many kimonos on and a feather in her hair was speaking to him. Her ruby red eyes were slanting slightly and the blood red lipstick on her lips made her mouth into a thin line. Kagome was standing inches from them, but they didn't seem to notice her.  
  
"They've established a rebellion." She spoke.  
  
"Really?" the man replied deeply, amusement in his voice. He chuckled."Fools."  
  
"What should you have us do?"  
  
"What else? Kill them."  
  
The scene faded to black and went racing over countless villages that were destroyed. Smoke seemed to be this land's clouds and moonlight their only sunshine. Thousands of people everywhere held no smile; they were too busy building statues or working their tails off. Soon that scene faded to black as well. Kagome was once again floating in the abyss of nothingness and she was beginning to feel frightened, until a digital female voice said, seeming from no where,"Mission one: Locate your companions."  
  
Kagome's surroundings shifted to an expansive forest with a clear sky. She blinked and looked around."Okay, Souta I think it works."  
  
Hearing no reply, she looked around some more. Souta was no where in sight; just forest and an old wooden square well beside her. Kagome sighed and reached for her head to take off the visor, but it wasn't there. Instead there was a bow and a quiver of arrows fastened to her back.  
  
"What the . . .?" She gasped, confused. The realization that she was stuck in the middle of a virtual forest alone soon caught up with her."Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no." she chanted looking around frantically.  
  
'Okay, there has got to be some kind of save mechanism in this dumb game. But where is it?' In all of Kagome's excitement she hadn't realized the peculiar watch latched onto her wrist. She calmed down after she twisted her wrist examining it. It had a little green screen on it saying: FIND COMPANIONS and three miniscule hearts on it("My men I bet."), and only had one button on it that read: BACKPACK. She took a wild guess that the watch told her what all her "missions" were, remembering the digital voice. She took one last look around her before pressing the button out of curiousity. A giant yellow backpack appeared at her feet. Kagome stepped back, and, realizing it was safe enough, opened it up.  
  
The backpack was empty save for a sleeping bag, some ramen, and a first aid kit."What's the use of having an empty backpack?" she said to herself. She wasn't as game-driven crazy as Souta was, so she didn't know what to make of it. She closed the backpack back up, and pressed the new "PACK UP" button her watch. She sighed and started walking through the forest, having no idea where she was going.  
  
Kagome couldn't help but continue looking around as she walked through the forest. Every tree she passed was teeming with fresh green leaves and the flowers on the grass had a lovely scent. A gentle breeze was swying the braches lightly and blowing her hair behind her shoulders. 'Wait - I can smell? And feel? This game is incredible.'  
  
Kagome didn't travel long before she came upon a hill. 'Maybe I can spot something from up there . . . ' Kagome started to climb the sloping hill and heard faint voices. She stopped immediately, mid-step, and listened.  
  
"Well we have to find her." A feminine voice was saying.  
  
"Or him." Another voice said, deep and definitely male.  
  
"They HAVE to be a 'she' because I refuse to be in a group with all guys!" the female voice spoke again.  
  
"I just wanna get out of here!" it was a little boy's voice, well, Kagome couldn't really tell, but with what the girl said, it had to be a boy.  
  
"Well, now we don't have to find anyone." A rough voice said.  
  
"Why's that?" the other young man asked.  
  
Kagome held her breath."Because she's right below us."  
  
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A/N: You know, I just realized that .HACK//:Sign and Monster Rancher have this same concept. (Kiwi shrugs) Oh, well, I don't own them either. Short, I know, but it's the first chapter. Review and I will write morekay. Kiwi is outie and she will see you on the flip side of things. ^.^ 


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